From People’s Daily app.
And this is Story in the Story.
Workshops promoting craftsmanship belonging to China's intangible cultural heritage (ICH), which were built with government support, have helped more than 200,000 people shake off poverty.
Assisting China's battle against poverty through ICH, the ministry started supporting the development of workshops. The initiative has given birth to more than 2,200 projects and generated nearly half a million jobs.
By training and equipping people with traditional craftsmanship skills like knitting and embroidery, it enables them to have a locally-based job.
To boost sales and help defeat poverty, shopping events for handicrafts representing ICH are held on major e-commerce platforms.
Today’s Story in the Story looks at how China’s intangible cultural heritage is helping China’s younger generations by providing an added revenue stream amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chinese needle-felting artist Yin Yue (Photo: Courtesy of Yin Yue)
Dressed in a white T-shirt and grayish pants, Yin Yue, 31, is a post-1980 Chinese artist based in Beijing. The needle-felting artist appears to be quiet, shy, and calm. But when she talks about her beloved career, she gets excited with her body language revealing her passion.
"Time flies, I never imagined I would be on this road for more than ten years. After going through all the lack of confidence, hesitation, and self-doubt, I decided to continue heading down this road because I am really keen on what I am doing," Yin said.
When Yin was studying at university, she accidentally came across needle felting handicrafts by Japanese artist Chiaki Suzuki.
"I decided to try it myself and found that it was very difficult to get the material. I searched on a lot of websites and finally found one shop on taobao.com. The material at the time wasn't ideal, but I was still able to use it," Yin said.
After finishing her artworks, Yin would share them on Chinese media review site platform Douban, where they quickly accumulated numerous likes, which in turn motivated her to continue.
However, a hobby is not a career. As she saw her friends and classmates find jobs after graduation, Yin came to a crossroads as she had to decide between pursuing a more traditional career or trying something riskier.
"It would all be for nothing if you can't find a job that satisfies you," her husband told her. Following his advice, Yin decided to turn her hobby into something more.
Self-doubt and uncertainty were constant companions during those early years, right up until she had the opportunity to hold an exhibition in Japan in 2016.
Yin Yue's works of mushrooms (Photo: Courtesy of Yin Yue)
The exhibition was themed on mushrooms. Letting her imagination run free, Yin transformed mushrooms into tiny characters running in a line on short, plump legs as if they were escaping somewhere.
"Mushrooms look very fragile, but they actually can grow up to be strong, which is very similar to my personality," she said.
The exhibition in Japan was a big success for Yin as many Japanese visitors visited her booth, which gave Yin the confidence for a huge boost.
The COVID-19 pandemic has not influenced Yin's day-to-day work as she usually does it at home. She mentioned that she had been touched by some of the stories that came out of Wuhan and that she might put some new ideas that came to her during the pandemic into her future works.
"The technique is quite mature in Western countries and Japan. The styles of the handicrafts in Western countries are more open and bigger, while the works in Asia, like Japan, tend to be smaller, more exquisite, and more focused on details," she explained.
Like many other members of the "Next Wave," Yin has remained modest and responsible as she pursues her dream, but she also notes that fulfilling one's dream is difficult and requires a strong heart.
"Developing a hobby into a career is not that easy. When you realize that you are going to make a living off of your hobby, you have to keep pushing yourself. Working 12 to 16 hours is a common thing for me. Whenever I want to relax, a voice tells me that I do not deserve to rest," Yin said with a bitter smile.
For now, Yin's handicraft business has been paying off.
"Now I have a steady income and live an independent life," Yin said, her voice full of confidence.
(Produced by Nancy Yan Xu, Lance Crayon, Brian Lowe and Da Hang. Music by bensound.com. Text from Global Times and China Daily.)